Problem with old programme

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

  1. Posts : 264
    Win 10 Pro 64
       #1

    Problem with old programme


    I have been using the basic text programme Write ever since the early MS OS. It has survived through 1, 3, 4, 95, 98, 98SE, XP, 7, and up to now, 10. But when I tried to use it a few days ago, I got a notice that the "App" cannot be used on your PC. NEVER done that before.

    Going back to any of those OS before Win 10 it still works. I have checked everything I can think of and even reloaded the application, but it still smugly informs me that it can't be used! Crazy, as it is such a basic programme!

    When upgrading from 7 to 10 I carried the programme and all the files over using the folder Write. I have now tried putting the write.exe file into the folder Programmes (X86) and ensuring that I have set the compatibility setting to XP and Run as Admin.

    No good - so any other ideas?
    (yes, I know it is dreadfully old fashioned but I have many .wri files which are simple and reliable. They do NOT transfer well to Notepad, Wordpad or Word.)

    Tony
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Problem with old programme-write.jpg  
      My Computers


  2. Posts : 191
    Windows XP, 10; Knoppix [Debian] linux
       #2

    Assuming this is a 16-bit (DOS) program, it will never run in 64-bit Windows.
    If it is that important you would have to launch in within a VM or DOSBox.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 264
    Win 10 Pro 64
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Thanks for advice. I will just continue to boot up my Win 7 PC when necessary to see an old file and then transfer result.
    I was just surprised that it works on that without problems but not 10 even though compatibility options indicate it can.
      My Computers


  4. Posts : 14,046
    Windows 11 Pro X64 22H2 22621.1848
       #4

    Have you tried running it in XP or Vista or Windows 7 compatibility mode?

    If it ran on Win 7 then it's not a 16 bit problem.
      My Computers


  5. Posts : 31,459
    10 Home x64 (22H2) (10 Pro on 2nd pc)
       #5

    Snugglebugs said:
    Thanks for advice. I will just continue to boot up my Win 7 PC when necessary ...
    Ztruker said:
    If it ran on Win 7 then it's not a 16 bit problem.

    Ah, but according to Snugglebugs' profile it is Win 7 Pro x86 - that can run 16-bit apps. It should run in x86 Win 10 too, but of course not on x64 (7 or 10).

    Problem with old programme-image.png

    One novel solution would be to make a Macrium image of the 'Win7 Pro x86' machine, then use Macrium's viBoot to run the image as a Hyper-V virtual machine on the 'Win 10 Pro 64' machine.
      My Computers


  6. Posts : 264
    Win 10 Pro 64
    Thread Starter
       #6

    Bree said:
    Ah, but according to Snugglebugs' profile it is Win 7 Pro x86 - that can run 16-bit apps. It should run in x86 Win 10 too, but of course not on x64 (7 or 10).
    Problem with old programme-image.png
    As I wrote, it puzzled me as when I first installed Win 10 the Write programme did work, even after I converted Win 10 to Pro.. Only in the last few days have I got the MS warning message (in their favourite BLUE!)

    Likewise I did use the compatibility settings for XP and that no longer fixes it. I even tried going way back for Win 95 compatibility setting but no luck. I can still use Write to open files if I use my other PCs that have 98SE, or 7, or XP installed and working fine.

    By the way, many of the WRI files go back to the 1980s after I had just started to use Windows as the Ver1 package came with a Lotus Symphony floppy. Later when I moved to 95 I found Write was better than Lotus so remade the files as WRI for the new OS. I have been combining all the data in those old files for my personal history and then converting them to PDF for later publishing. I had developed a smooth work flow that is now not quite so smooth


    Tony
      My Computers


  7. Posts : 7,254
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
       #7

    What particular features do you need that this old program provides? There may be newer alternatives perhaps with more useful features.
      My Computers


  8. Posts : 264
    Win 10 Pro 64
    Thread Starter
       #8

    New screenshot


    You can see that the properties change has apparently been accepted in this next screenshot - made today.

    - - - Updated - - -

    swarfega said:
    What particular features do you need that this old program provides? There may be newer alternatives perhaps with more useful features.
    I think our posts crossed!
    Just that I can open *.wri files without fuss! For example, Word will open them but adds extra pages of odd symbols and changes the formatting. Similarly for Wordpad which Win 10 claims to be the default method.

    New screenshot mentioned is below
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Problem with old programme-write2.jpg  
      My Computers


  9. Posts : 7,254
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
       #9

    I wasn't aware people still used that format. You could try wordpad to open .wri files.
      My Computers


  10. Posts : 4,201
    Windows 10 Pro x64 Latest RP
       #10

    @Snugglebugs

    It may be time to move on from the .WRI format from the earlier Wordpad - as this format has recently been withdrawn from support and should you delay too long, the library of files you maintain, could be unusable

    To assist this conversion there are convertors that can create the files into more active , supported, file formats readable by Wordpad or even Word

    Convert wri to doc - Find any file converter

    This after some work will give you a long term solution.

    There is another way, a few of the Open Office type Word Clones still support some earlier rarer file types so may be a solution to your problems going forward (these are, unlike Word, Free to use)
      My Computers


 

  Related Discussions
Our Sites
Site Links
About Us
Windows 10 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. "Windows 10" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

© Designer Media Ltd
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:31.
Find Us




Windows 10 Forums